Gasoline pump



' p 1943. w. E. SHOEMAKER 2330,634

4 GASOLINE PUMP Filed Dec. 19, 1940 9 Sheefs-Sheet 1 P 4 w. E. SHOEMAKER2,330,634

GASOLINE PUMP Filed Dec. 19, 1940 9 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 28, .1943. w.E3SHOEMAKER GASOLINE PUMP 9 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 19., 1940 FIG.

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Sept 28, 1943.

W. E. SHOEMAKER GASOLINE PUMP Filed Dec. 19, 1940 9 Sheets-Sheet 4ATTO/P/Vf VJ Sept. 28,- 1943; w. ESHOEMAKER GASOLINE. PUMP 2, m 3 r a kWMM HIM MU n 1 al HH HMU F a J a 3 INVENTOR WILLIAM E. JHOEI'MKER swim;1.3.;

ATTORNEYS Sept. 28*, 1943. w. E. SHOEMAKER GASOLINE PUMP Fild Dec. 19,1940 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 FIG/X iNVENTOR Lql WILLIAM E. .SHOENAKER BY A .5aw.

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ATTORNEYS enclosing the pump mechanism.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE William E. Shoemaker, Freeport, N. Y.,assignor to Sinclair Refining Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation ofMaine Application December 19, 1940, Serial No. 379,886 2 Claims. (01.221-95) This invention relates to improvements in gasoline pumps of thedispensing type such as are used in service stations for pumping andmetering gasoline from an underground tank for automobiles. Theinvention relates more particularly to gasoline pumps which will largelyovercome or minimize the difllculties commonly met with in the upkeepand maintenance of such pumps under'service conditions.

Gasoline pumps are commonly located at the curb or in service stationswhere automobiles drive alongside the pump, close enough to permit theflexible hose from the pump to reach,

the filling opening of the gasoline tank of the automobile. These pumpsare made up of a number of parts, including usually an electric motorfor driving the pump, a pump driven by the motor and having its inletconnected with an underground gasoline tank through pipe connections, aseparating chamber for separating entrained air from the gasoline, ameter for measuring the gasoline, indicating and computing mechanismconnected with the meter for measuring the gasoline dispensed andcomputing the price, illumination for the pump, usually at the top,electrical connections and conduits for operating and illuminating thepump, pipe connections for connecting the various units through whichthe gasoline flows, supports for the various elements and members goinginto the complete pump construction, and an outer casing ,One of thecommon difliculties experienced in the operation of filling stations isinjury to the pump mechanism by being 'bumped into or hit by automobileswith resulting wreckage or 1 injury to the pumpmechanism requiringrepair of the pump before it can be again operated.

This involves high maintenance costs for repair or replacement, andputting the pump out of operation until repaired or replaced.

With the advent of the computer type of pump a'higher maintenance costresulted than had previouslybeen experienced with other types of pumps.It was apparent that this was caused by the complicated mechanism andthe manner of constructing the pump in a manner advantageo'us from thestandpoint of the pump manufacturer, but withv the resulting diiiicultyof repair such that excessive time was required in the field on the partof repair men for removing and replacing one or more of the variousunits which go to make up the pump construction.

In addition to maintenance difficulties it was 7 found that a veryconsiderable number ofthe dislocating of the parts or the pump mechanismso that the entire pump had to be replaced or rebuilt. In other casesthe parts of the pump mechanism were jarred out of alignment withoutapparent serious injury but with resulting interference with thecontinued operation or with overloading and buming out of the motor andwith necessity for shutting down and repair. The breaking of a pipeconnection at the point where the pump would normally be hit by anautomobile permits the gasoline to run down out of the pump onto theground with resulting loss of gasoline and serious fire hazard if thegasoline is igni d- Gasoline pumps are commonly constructed with aframe-work of vertical pipes or elements rigidly supported on a metalbase, and to which the outer v sheet metal casing is secured. One of themain disadvantages of pumps which I have investtgated was that they wereall constructed of numerous units, somesupported directly from the comerposts of the pump frame itself, and the others usually supported onbrackets whichin turn were supported by the corner posts. In order toremove any of the parts it was necessary in some cases to disassemblethe whole pump and in others to disassemble up to the point of the unitupon which the work had to be done.

" Due to this type of construction, any bump of the pump by a car wouldusuallydamage one or two of the supports, with resulting breakage of theunit, or bending of the support or supports holding the unit, so thatthe pump would be im-. mediately injured or put out of operation, andusually had to be crated and shipped to the salvage shop. Even wherebreakage or bending of the support did not actually occur, or where theAnother diiliculty which was met with was the 4 difliculty oi!disassembling the pump units which were so tied together within the pumpcasing as to be relatively inaccessible, and difllcult to dis- Aassemble byremoving only one unit when that unit was the one requiringrepair.

The present invention provides an improved construction in which thedifliculties and objections such as those above referred to are largelyovercome or minimized.

The improvedpump of the present invention has an outer framework bywhich the top of the pump is supported and has the main units andelements of the pump mechanism supported within the pump casing insidethe framework and casing and spaced apart from the framework and havingno contact therewith. With all units mounted together and supported bythe base without any connection to the pump case and frame,

for recording the gasoline pumped and usually for computing the price.

so that when the nozzle is detached the pump is the pump is protectedfrominjury by collision of a car with the frame. The provision of aclear space between the unit and outer frame and housing of the pumpprevents wrecking of the pump when the outer housing and framework ishit. With this construction, collision may damage the housing and outerframework, but will not reach, except in a few cases, the mechanism orthe units of the pump.

The pump is moreover constructed of units which can be readilydisassembled so that each unit may be readily removed and a substituteunit inserted without dimclllty and with a mini-,

mum of labor. The servicing of the materially facilitated.

With the new pump construction, the main units of the pump are supporteddirectly from the pump base, with certain units supporting each other,or with a plurality of units supported by a single unitary support fromthe pump base, and without any connection with the outer framepump isthus work and casin so that either the pump'mechanism as a whole, ordifferent individual units of the pump mechanism can be readily removedfrom the casing and repaired or replaced.

The independent support for the pump units advantageously includ a layerof rubber for reducing vibration.

. With the complete pump, as well as its units or elements,independently supported by the pump base, and separate from the outerframe and cas- The individual units, such as electric motor, pump andseparator, meter, and clock must all be connected up together andmaintained in an operating condition.- Electric wiring leading to themotor and having switch mechanism for starting and stopping the motor isalso provided,

the switch commonly being operated by the support for the nozzle of theflexible delivery pipe started.

In the operation of such pumps, the starting of the motor and pump, uponremoval of the delivery hose nozzle from its support, may precedetheactual delivery of gasoline from the hose to the automobile tank. Thepump is provided with suitable control and by-pass valves to-maintainthe gasoline supply at the. proper pressure for delivery, and to permitby-pass of the gasoline from the discharge side of the pump to the inletside when the pumping operation develops excess pressure in the pump.The pump i also provided with screens for filtering the gasoline, whilethe separator is usually provided with a float control valve to p rmit.escape of separated air to the atmosphere without permitting escape ofasoline.

In the newpump construction the pump with its valves and aireliminator'is advantageously arranged somewhat above the base member ofthe pump, and is supported therefrom in such a ing, the pump as a wholeis readily accessible and the individual units are also readilyaccessible so that one unit only can be readily removed and replacedinafew minutes,

The new pump may be made up of standard units or the units may bespecially designed to permit-the units to support each other. Wherewhich is advantageously combined with a separator for separatingentrained air from the gasoline. The pump'is commonly run by a beltdrive from the motor and is connected with the supply of gasoline,usually an underground tank.

The pump unit discharges the gasoline into the separator, whereentrained air is separated, and

.manner that the units can be readily removed and replaced. The meterunit, connected with the separator or air eliminator or with thecombined pump-separator unit, and also having a connection with theoutside flexible delivery hose,

is advantageously arranged above the pump-separatorunit and is soconnected therewith as to be readily detached and removed. Where themeter is a. standard unit, it is advantageously supported from the baseof the pump, or by the same supporting members which support the pumpand eliminator, but in any case the supports are independent of theouter framework and casing of the pump. v

The meter is, however, advantageously supported directly by thepump andseparator unit,

thus avoiding the need of supporting means for the meter, and utilizingthe pump and separator unit as the supporting means for the meter. Inthis case the. only supporting element required for supporting thepump-eliminator and the meter is a framework, advantageously of invertedU-shape, supported by the base plate of the pump, and in turn supportingthe pump and eliminator, which in turn supports the meter.

The clock mechanism is conveniently arranged at the top of the pump andmay be supported by the main framework of the pump, with the usual smallconnecting rods connecting the meter with -the.clock mechanism. Withsuch an arrangement, the clock is the only element supported by theouterpump casing and framework, while the from the separator thegasoline is delivered to a meter and then to a flexible hose, usuallywith a hand-control valve and nozzle at the end. The

meter is in turn connected to clock mechanism other elements of thepump, namely the electric motor, the pump and air eliminator, and themeter, are independently supported directly from the base-plate of thepump and without any connection to the outer framework and pump casing.

The invention will be further described in con- 'nection with thefollowing more detailed description-and the embodiments thereofillustrated in the accompanying drawings:

In said drawings:

Fig. I is a perspective view of a unitary structhe means for separating'the lighter fluids from I the liquid and separately discharging themare included; the flow meter being rigidly connected with that unitarycasing; and all entirely independent of the outer casing and itssupporting frame which are not shown in Fig. I.

Fig. II is-a front elevation of the integrated structure shown in Fig.I, showing two of the four vertical angle bar columns of the frame forsupporting the outer casing, which isomitted from Fig. I.

Fig. III is a plan sectional view of the structure shown in Fig. I;including in section the four ver tical angle bar columns, of which twoare shown in Fig. II, and also showing in section the outer sheet metalcasing supported by those columns and showing in section the unitarycasing which contains the pump and the means for separating the lighterfluids.

Fig. IV is a vertical sectional view of saidunitary casing taken on thelin IV-IV in Fig. III in the direction of the arrows on said line, buton a larger scale.

Fig. V is a sectional view to the same scale as Fig. IV taken on theline V-V in Fig. III in the direction of the arrows on said lines.

Fig. VI is a vertical sectional view taken on the lines VI-VI in Figs.II and V in the direction of the arrows on said lines, but on a largerscale than Fig. V.

Fig. VII is a vertical sectional view taken on the line VII'VII in Figs.II and V in the direction of the arrows on said line, but on the samescale as Fig. VI.

Fig. VIII is an elevation of a modified structure in which the variousunits of the pump structure are supported directly from the base andindependently of the outer framework and casing but with the meter shownas a separate unit connected by piping with the pump-separator units;and

Fig. IX is an elevation of the apparatus of Fig. VIII, taken at rightangles thereto, and with the casing partly removed, as in Fig. VIII toshow the independent support of the pumpmechanism within and apart fromthe outer framework and casing.

Referring to Figs. I and II; the base member I is conveniently formed asa single iron casting rigidly connected by four bolts I with the bridgeframe 2 which is of inverted U-shape. The sin vgle unitary casing 3 isrigidly mounted upon the top of said bridge frame, conveniently by fourbolts 3 at the respective corners'thereof, and contains the pump and theseveral valves leading to and from the same and the means for separatingthe lighter fluids from the liquid and separately' discharging them ashereinafter described. The head 3* which covers said'casing 3 is rigidlyconnected with the flow meter 4, conveniently by several bolts 3*.

Said flow meter includes four cylinders 4' having respective heads 4?,three of which are indicated in Fig. I. Four pistons are respectivelymounted to reciprocate in said cylinders and are operatively connectedwith the crankshaft 5. Said shaft 5 is provided with the coupling 5 atthe top thereof for flexible connection with a computing registeringmechanism or other indicating means, not shown.

As shown in Figs..I and 11; said bridge frame 2 has mounted within itthe electric motor I rigidly wardly through said base I inengagementwith the junction box I0 which has the removable screw coverIll. The left-hand end of said junction box, as shown in Fig. II,communicates with the conduit l0 through which the electrical conductorsextend within the casing of said motor 1. The clamp Ill which is rigidlyconnected with said frame 2 by the bolt Ill supports the junction ofsaid box In with said conduit Ill. The righthand end of said junctionbox I0 is connected with the conduit Hi through which electricalconductors may be extended to switching means controlling the lightsilluminating the ordinary and well-known volume indicating meansconnected to the meter.

Said motor 1 has the armature shaft I provided with the pulley Iconnectedby the belt II with the pulley H on the pump shaft l3 wherebysaid shaft I3 is rotated whenever said motor I is energized.

Referring to Fig. II; the liquid supply pipe l5 leads from anunderground tank to said casing 3 with which it is convenientlyconnected by the inlet coupling l5. Said coupling connects with theliquid inlet l5 shown at the bottom of said casing 3 in Figs. V and VI.Liquid rising through said inlet I5 is received in the inlet screenchamber l6 which, as shown in Figs. V and VI, contains the removablecylindrical perforated screen ll carried by the hollow screen frame I!which is slidably fitted on the bolt I! which; at its inner end, isscrewed into rigid connection. with said casing 3. Said screen chamberl6 is-open at its left-hand end shown in Fig. VI, which is provided withthe removable cover I! normally held in closed position by the nut llengaging the outer latter into fluid-tight relation with the'inner endof said chamber 16. 7 The liquid passes through said screen frame andthe port I6 at the inner end of said chamber Hi, into the passageway l8shown in Fig. VI leading to the pump chamber l9 shown in Figs. IV and V.

As shown in Fig. IV, said pump shaft [3 is journaled at its inner end inthe bearing l3 in said casing 3, and at its outer end in the cover I3which latter is rigidly held on said unitary casing 3 by the ring 13secured by the bolts l3 shown in-Fig. I. As shown in Fig. IV, saidbearing in cover l3 is sealed at its opposite ends by spring pressedrings l3 and l3.

Said pump shaft l3 carries the pump rotor 20 conveniently of the typewhich is mounted eccentrically in said pump chamber I9 and provided witha circumferential series of blades 20 which are free to reciprocate soas to continually bear upon the inner cylindrical surface of saidchamber l9 and sweep the liquid from said passageway l8 through saidpump chamber I9 and- 'drain said-chamber 30.

As indicated lnFigs. III and VII, said separating chamber 23 has theport 24 leading into the control valve chamber 25. As shown in Fig. VII,

' said controlvalve chamber has-the discharge port 25" leading into theliquid discharge chamber 26. Said port 25' is normally closed by thecontrol valve 25. The spring 21 in said liquid discharge chambercontinually tends to close said control valve and prevent it fromopening until it is subjected to a predetermined pressure desired fordispensing liquid. The outer end of saidspring 21 bears upon the cover28 which is resaid valve 36 against the pressure of said spring 38', andrelieves the pressure by thus establishing communication between theinlet and outlet sides of the pump rotor 20.

Referring to Figs. III: and VI inclusive; the lighter fluid dischargechamber 38 receives not only the small amount of liquid which passesthrough the continually open restricted passageway 30 but also air andgasoline vapor which may be entrained in the liquid drawn up, throughthe supply pipe l5, by the operation of the pump movably fixed upon saidcasing 3 by a plurality of bolts 28, one of which is shown in Fig. VIIand others in Fig. II. I find it convenient to provide said cover 28with the removable plug 28 shown in Figs. II and VII normally closing anopening through which the meter 4 may be drained, by'- way ofsaidiliquid discharge chamber 28. I also find it convenient to providethe separating chamber 23 with the removable drain plug 23 As showninFigs. V and VII, saidliquid dis- I charge chamber 28 leads to thedispensing outlet 28 in said head 3 on said casing 3.

., Referring to Figs. .111 and IV, said liquid and lighter fluidseparating chamber 23 is continu ally in restricted communication withthelighter fluid discharge chamber 38 through the port 38*? which isnormally'closed by the'float valve 3| which is mounted to reciprocate inthe bracket rotor 20. Said chamber 38 is made of such large dimensionsas shown for the purpose of permit ting such gasoline vapor to condenseand precipitate therein before the discharge of the separated to theatmosphere through the vent 30' which is at the upper end of saidchamber 38 and conveniently formed in the head 3 -of said casing 3.

32 rigidly connected with the inner wall of said chamber 23; said valve3| having the duct 3i extending'axially and laterally through its upperend and continually open for restricted communication between saidseparating chamber 23 and said lighter fluid discharge chamber 38. Saidfloat valve 3| is operatively connected by the j cross pin 3! with thelever 33 which is fulcrumed on the pin 32' in said bracket 32 andcarries the float 33 conveniently formed of a pieceof cork which iscylindrical as shown in Fig. III. I find it convenient to provide saidchamber 30 with a removable plug 38 whichmaybe removed to Referring toFigs. V and VI, the by-pass valve chamber 35 in theunitarycasing 3, incom-' munication with the suction side of the pump chamber l9 throughthe passageway I8, and includes the port-22 communicating with the pumpdischarge port 22; Said port 22 isnormally closed by the by-pass valve36-under pressure p of thespring 36. in said chamber 35. The pressure ofsaid spring 38' may be varied by axial adjustment of the screw 36'whiehis carried in the cover 35 which'is rigidly secured over the outerend of"said chamber 35 by the five bolts 35 shown, in Fig. II, one of which isshown in Fig. VI. Said screw 38 is locked in adjusted position by thenut 36 shown in Fig. VI, which nut is sealed in normal position by thescrew plug 36, the latter being removable when it is desired to eifectadjustmentof said screw 36. a

- l I find it convenient to provide said cover 35 with the liquid inlet35' through which liquid.

may be poured into said by-pass valve chamber 35 and thence into thepump chamber to prime the latter. That priming inlet 35' is normallyclosed by the-screw plug.35".

The purpose and eifect of said bypass valve 36 is that when an abnormalpressure is created'on the discharge side of the pump in the pumpdischarge chamber 2| "a'nd'the other chambers in communicationtherewith, the abnormal pressure upon the right hand side of the port22, shown in Fig. VI. opens In order to return to the suction side ofthe pump chamber l9 any gasoline which may accumulate insaid chamber 38,I provide the latter with theport 30 at the bottom thereof, as shown inFig. V, leading directly into said by-pass valve chamber 35 from whichit may overflow into the pump chamber, ,as indicated by the arrow inFig.

V. However, that port 38 is normally closed by the float valve 38 whichis mounted to reciprocate in the valve casing 38' flxed in registry withsaid port 38*, as shown in Fig. V. Said valve is operativelyconneotedbythe cross pin 38 with the the construction and arrangement ofthe unitary casing 3 and the chambers therein are such as to afford themaximum freedom of movement for the operation of the floats 33 and 38 ina minimum space.

Gasoline" is readily expansible by increment of temperature andconsequently it the apparatus above described stands idle when initiallycharged with cold gasoline from a subjacent reservoir'and.

-' exposed-to the summer sun, such expansion will increase the pressurein the liquid discharge chamber 26 and beyond it above the desiredpressure for'dispensation. Therefore, I provide the control valve 25with the relief 'duct 25 extending therethrough' from the discharge sidethereof to the pressure side thereof, and, as shown in Fig. VII providethe inner end of said duct with the'relief'valve 25 which is continuallystressed by the sprin 25 to close it. Said spring is carried by saidcontrol valve, in its stem 25,

and abuts at its inner end against the screw plug,

25; Said stem 25 hasthe port 25 opening from the spring chamberlaterally, into the control pump chamber valve chamber 25 incommunicationwith the IS. Said spring is of such strength that uponbeing subjected to the excess back pressure from-the chamber 28, uponthe relief valve 25, it permits that valve to open and the expandedgasoline to pass through said duct .25 and port 25 back into the controlvalve chamber 25 in communication with the pump chamber I9, and thusrelieves any such abnormal pressure of the liquid on the discharge sideof said control valve .25. 3

Said liquid supply pipe I! is provided with the usual so-called footvalve at the lower end thereof, submerged in a subjacent reservoir ofgasoline; said valve ismerely a check valve which opens upward to permitthe passage of gasoline to the pump when subjected to the partial vacuumcreated by the pump but which closes. to prevent the gasoline frompassing downward through said pipe I 5 when the pump is not operating.when it is desired to eifect dispensation of the liquid; the operatorcloses the electric switch to energize the motor I and the consequentoperation of the pump creates a partial vacuum on the-inlet side thereofand compresses the liquid in the pump discharge chamber 2| until suchpressure is suflicient to open the control valve whereupon, the liquidunder the desired pressure for dispensation passes through thedispensing outlet 26 which is conveniently connected with a flexibledispensing hose having at the end of it the usual nozzle containing acheck valve which normally closes it but which may be manually opened toeffect dispensation.

when, as is usually the case, the operator permits that nozzle valve toclose'beiore he manipulates apparatus from the pump'chamber l9 to thedispensing nozzle, so that dispensation may be instantly effected whenthe motor is started by the operator and the nozzle valve opened. Suchapparatus is usually located at a curb or elsewhere accessible to motorvehicles, and consequently exposed to sunlight. The heat of the summersun will expand the gasoline in the apparatus thus exposed. Therefore,if dispensation is not effected at short intervals to relieve Withinthis outer casing and spaced apart from the framework pipes 42 of thecasing is an inner framework shown as four vertical pipes 44independently supported by the base plate 4| and having a series ofcross plates 45, 46 and 41 for supporting the motor 48, the pump andseparator unit 49, and the meter 50. These cross supports are shown asclamped to the supporting pipes by clamps 5|.

The motor 4!! is connected to the pump 49 through abelt drive 52. A pipe53 with couplin 54 therein leads from the pump to the undergroundstorage tank for the gasoline.

The pump-separator unit 49 and the meter are connected through aconnecting pipe 55 with coupling 56 therein.

In these figures the electric wiring and connec tions to the motor areomitted as are also the clock at the top of the pump and the drivingspindle connecting it with the meter, and the outside gasoline dischargehose is also omitted. The individual units of the modified structure ofFigs. VIII and IX may be of standard construction, but they are soconnected as to. permit ready disconnection and removal of individualunits with a minimum of time and effort, thus permitting readydisplacement.

The electric motor 48 may be of usual construction and mode ofoperation. The pumpseparator unit 49 may be a standard unit, for

example, such as has been used used in a commercial Tokheim pump, Model36-3; The meter 50 mayalso be of standard construction.

But instead of supporting and connecting these units in a manner whichmakes it difficult to remove and replace them, and instead of connectingthese units directly to the outer framework, orto cross supports carriedby the outer framework, they are independently supported within theouter framework and spaced apart therefrom, except for the clock at thetop of the pump.

With this arrangement the hitting or bumping of the outside casing andframe by an automobile will not, in most cases, interfere with the pumpunits or their support or with their continued such pressure ofexpansion by discharge of the gasoline through the hose, the pressure ofsuch expansion will open the relief valve 25 to permit the expandedgasoline to pass through the duct 26' and thus relieve such abnormalpressure in the chamber 26 as abovev described. As above indicated, thepump may be primed, initially or at any time found necessary, byremoving the plug 36" and pouring gasoline through the priming inlet 35'and valve chamber 35 in the casing 3 into the passageway I8 shown inFigs. V and VI, which is in communication with said supply pipe ii.

In the modified structure of Figs. VIII and IX the pump-separator andthe meter casings are not specially designed so that the meter issupported directlyby the casing of the pump and separator, but the meterand pump-separator may be standard units connected through outside pipeconnections. These units are, however, as in the structure previouslydescribed, supported directly by the base plate through supports whichare independent of the outer framework and easing of the pump.

In this modified structure the base plate 4i has corner pipes oruprights 42 forsupporting the top of the pump and'with a sheet metalcasing 43 enclosing the pump.

operation. The pump casing itself can be readily removed and replaced,and one or more of the upright supports of the pump casing may likewisebe renewed without the necessity of removing or interfering in any waywith the main units of the pump. The pump mechanism is thus, so tospeak, insulated against injury of the kind which has commonly wreckedpumps where the units have been attached to and supported by the pumpframework or cross supports integrally secured thereto.

The units are moreover mounted and supported so as to facilitate theremoval and replacement of individual units. For example, thepumpseparator unit can be disconnected from the underground supply pipeand from the pipe connecting it with the meter and can then be readilydetached and removed from the pump and replaced with another unit.Similarly, the meter may be readily disconnected by disconnecting itspipe connections and readily removed and replaced. The electric motor isalso readily removable and replaceable.

It is one advantage of the above construction that it permits the use ofstandard parts which can be readily removed'and replaced. The motor andmeter, as well as the-pump-separator, may vary in their construction.

The pump-separator unit of Figs. VIII and amount,-a control valve formaintaining the proper pressure for insuring discharge of the gasoline,a separating chamber to permit separation of entrained air, with a floatcontrolled vent valve for permitting escape of excess air to theatmosphere while permitting escape of gasoline, and connections for theinlet gasoline pipe and for the'discharge of gasoline to the meter. Suchcombined pump-separator units may vary in construction, and units ofdifferent internal construction can be used for-accomplishingthe-combined pumping and separating function.

When standard units are not to be used, the pump is advantageouslyredesigned to permit the meter to be directlysupported by thepump-separator casing, thus obviating the need of an outside pipeconnection and utilizing the pump-separator unit as a support for themeter. This gives a more compact structure while the units arenevertheless readily separable. In this case also a simpler supportingframework can be used such as the inverted U-shaped frame shown in Figs.I and II.

In the modified structure of Figs. VIII and IX. as well as in thestructure shown in Figs. I to VII, the repair, upkeep and maintenance ofthe pumps are greatly facilitated as compared with pump structures wherethe units are directly tied to the framework or to cross bracketsconnected thereto. The units are in both cases readily removable andreplaceable when this is necessary so that there is no need ofdisassembling and shipping the entire pump mechanism to the salvageshop.

2,330,634 1x is not'shown in its detailed construction but Moreover, theindependent support of the main pump units without any connection withthe outer framework and casing, and the provision of a space orclearance betweenthe pump 5 units and the outer framework and casingobviates or minimizes the danger or injury to the pump when the pump,framework, and casing are bumped or hit by an automobile, since, in

' case of collision the damage would in most cases be confined to theouter framework and casing and would not reach the pump mechanism andits independent supports; and the needed repair to the pump casing andouter framework would not in most cases involve any repair of the pumpmechanism such as has heretofore been one of the commonest difllcultiesmet with in the field 'in servicing and. repairing service stationpumps.

I claim: 1: A gasoline dispensing apparatus adapted to be installed-in agasoline filling station or the like, comprising a base plate, an outerframework and casing supported by the base plate, and a pump mechanismincluding a pump, an air separator and a. meter support supported fromthe base plate and spaced from the outer framework and casing. v 2. Inliquid dispensing apparatus which includes a frame member support for anouter housing; a rigidly integrated structure including a single basemember, an electric motor, a single unitary casing including a pump andthe several valves leading to and from the same, and means forseparating lighter fluids from the,liquid and separately dischargingthem; a flow meter rigidly connected with said single unitary casing andoperatively connected with said pump;

WILLIAM E. sHoE'MAKER.

